Anastomosis is a procedure where two separate tubular or hollow organs are surgically grafted together to form a continuous fluid channel between them. A vascular anastomosis is performed between blood vessels to create or restore blood flow. When a patient suffers from coronary artery disease (CAD), an occlusion or stenosis in a coronary artery restricts blood flow to the heart muscle. In order to treat CAD, the area where the occlusion occurs is bypassed to reroute blood flow by grafting a vessel in the form of a harvested artery or vein, or a prosthesis. Anastomosis is performed between a graft vessel and a target vessel in order to bypass the blocked coronary artery, circumvent the occlusion and restore adequate blood flow to the heart muscle. This treatment is known as a coronary artery bypass graft procedure (CABG).
An anastomosis may be compliant or noncompliant. A noncompliant anastomosis is one in which the target vessel is not substantially free to expand or contract circumferentially and longitudinally in proximity to the anastomosis site. A compliant anastomosis is one in which the target vessel is substantially free to expand or contract circumferentially and longitudinally in proximity to the anastomosis site. A traditional sutured anastomosis is compliant, and for this reason some surgeons may prefer to utilize an anastomosis system that provides a compliant anastomosis, particularly between a graft vessel and the aorta or other source of arterial blood.